BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Hinda Assaraf is that girl who you know will turn into a crazy dog lady in 20 years (if she hasn’t earned that title already). While her career is in fashion as a Creative Director and VP for several international brands, her spare time is spent getting depressed from watching animal sob-story videos on her iPhone. Her involvement in Save Our Scruff was born out of wanting to empower herself to improve animals’ lives, and along with the rock star leadership team at SOS, she has filled that gap.

Hinda has 3 dogs in her family, including Save Our Scruff’s very own Drayko, a rescued beauty from Mexico. Together, they help regulate Hinda’s naturally cold body temperate by forming a cuddle triangle around her in bed all night. Dogs and fashion aside, Hinda enjoys reading shockingly risqué romance novels (nothing you’ll find at an Indigo), being overly polite to Uber drivers and customs agents to the point of awkwardness, and watching TV shows alone that she knows her husband is planning to watch with her, thus ruining their shared TV-watching schedule.

In conclusion - adopt don’t shop, dogs love you more than they love themselves, and the way you treat animals in this world is more telling of who you are as person than anything else (*mic drop).

Kate Ferguson was asked to be part of Save our Scruff’s Board of Directors and was quick to say yes! Eager to offer her support for such a great cause and something that she is extremely passionate about both personally and professionally - DOGS!

A pioneer of the dog care industry in Toronto, Kate has owned and operated her own canine adventure company and boarding facility, Unleashed in the City, for just over 14 years and brings a wealth of knowledge about dog care, training tips, behavioural and health issues and much more to the wonderful team of volunteers at SOS.

When not running her canine empire at 45 Oss., Kate can be found snuggling with her four dogs (all rescues!) Queen Bean, Jack Attack, Sprout the Ninja and Margo the Magnificent, having picnics in Bellwood Park, hiking through High Park with her dogs or zipping through the streets of Toronto or the Milton Velodrome on her fixed-gear bike.

Kate Swanson loves animals, is passionate about animal rescue and strongly believes humans need to do more to ensure that all animals are properly cared for and protected. She is super excited to be part of Save our Scruff!

From the moment Kate learned about Save our Scruff she has been impressed: She loves that the organization goes above and beyond to rescue and rehabilitate dogs from around the world and match them with the perfect furever homes, and is continuously blown away by the amazing work that Save our Scruff’s all-volunteer team carries out.

Kate brings her knowledge and understanding of charity law, business law, and corporate governance to Save our Scruff. (Dogs need lawyers too!) She is Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Canadian Foundation for Advancement of Investor Rights (FAIR Canada). Prior roles include working as a corporate/securities associate at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP.

Kate can’t wait to see how Save Our Scruff grows, and is so happy to play a part in making dog rescue dreams a reality.

Save Our Scruff is a registered charitable organization located all over the GTA dedicated to rescuing dogs and finding them safe and suitable permanent homes through adoption, advocacy and education. By working with committed volunteers, foster homes, veterinarians, and trainers, we are able to rescue dogs and provide them with loving temporary care while finding them well-matched, carefully screened forever homes.